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Ford tries out live operators to boost Sync in-car assistance
[July 12, 2011]

Ford tries out live operators to boost Sync in-car assistance


Jul 12, 2011 (Detroit Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Ford is taking a page from General Motors' OnStar system by testing live phone operators to help customers looking for directions to a business using Sync.



Starting last week and running through the summer, Ford is testing an "Operator Assist" feature that will connect drivers with an operator if they have trouble getting directions electronically, after three attempts, said Ford spokesman Alan Hall. The operators will be provided by MyAssist, a supplier in Stevens Point, Wis.

Ford will decide sometime this fall whether the testing experience was successful enough to offer it on a broader basis. Once Ford decides to roll it out, Ford Sync Service customers will need no new software or hardware to access an operator. The service would be free for three years, after which they would pay a $60 annual subscription fee, according to Ford spokesman Alan Hall.


"Our customers asked for additional assistance in situations where their voice request was not understood," said David Gersabeck, product manager for Sync Services.

Indeed, unreliable voice recognition software was one criticism that negatively affected Ford's performance on last months's annual J.D. Power and Associates' initial quality study. After posting the fewest problems per vehicles of any non-luxury brand in 2010, Ford slipped to 23rd this year with 1.16 problems per vehicle, compared with an industry average of 1.07 problems per vehicle.

David Sargent, leader of the J.D. Power study, said customer-reported problems with its in-car technology, particularly voice recognition, were a primary reason for the decline in Ford's performance.

But the move toward live operators seems to be a shift in the business model Ford intended when it launched Sync in 2007. Originally, Ford boasted the service came with a one-time fee and a computer system that took voice commands, allowing drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road.

It was seen as a distinctly different path from GM's OnStar, which launched in 1996 and established call centers from which operators responded to customers' roadside assistance calls. OnStar allows drivers to make phone calls by voice command, too, but also has live operators to help with a variety of concierge-type services, such as directions it can send to the car.

Ford's model was seen as less expensive because it didn't need call centers, and it didn't require a monthly fee. Half of GM drivers keep OnStar once the promotional period expires, and 60% of those drivers renew later. Drivers must pay $199 annually for safety features or $299 for extra services such as navigation.

Ford has continued to expand Sync's offering since its launch.

Ford has aggressively pushed features such as Sync AppLink, which enables drivers to download smartphone applications through Sync. Another layer, Sync Services, was launched on 2010 model products to give drivers voice-activated access to traffic, news, sports, weather, horoscopes, stock quotes and business addresses and directions.

"Notwithstanding their recent stumbles with MyFord Touch, Sync has been a very successful technology," said Doug Newcomb, technology editor with Edmunds.com. .

Contact Greg Gardner: 313-222-8762 or [email protected] To see more of the Detroit Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.freep.com Copyright (c) 2011, Detroit Free Press Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.

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